Who we Are
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: Charlie questions who he is when he finds a disturbing news article in his father’s records about his sons.
1. Sad news

**Title: Who we Are**

**Author: Numb3rsfan**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Warnings: H/C, Angst, Violence, Language**

**Authors Notes: Even though the fandom is Numb3rs, it will be a little more OOC than usual, though I will do my best to keep the Charlie/Don brother thing as close to IC as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs, or the characters. This fic was made for the enjoyment of the reader.**

**Summary: Charlie questions who he is when he finds a disturbing news article in his father's records about his sons.**

Chapter One.

He was doing it again. Don knew it the moment he pulled up to the house to see his father's worried figure coming out of the house, hands at his sides.

Opening the door of his black SUV, Don climbed out and approached his father.

"Dad, where's Charlie?" Don asked, though deep down he already knew what his father would say the second the eldest Eppes opened his mouth.

"He's in the basement. Did you two have a fight at work?" Alan asked, searching his oldest boy's face for the truth.

"The basement? What's he doing down there?" Don asked, ignoring his father's second question as he walked past Alan and headed for the basement of the house.

Don didn't ignore his father's last question because he didn't have an answer, it was more Don was trying to figure out Charlie's problem and not get his head bit off.

All that day, every second Charlie was in the office he kept getting more and more frustrated with the equation he was trying to write up on the clear board, while trying to answer David and Colby's questions about the latest case.

The questions weren't anything new. Don had truly thought that Charlie had gotten used to them, but he abruptly changed his mind about that when Charlie had turned around and quite bluntly ordered David and Colby to quote "shut up!"

Hearing the sound of rapidly moving chalk made Don shake his head as he entered the basement to once again seeing every single chalkboard covered in different numbers and equations.

"Oh don't tell me you're goin' after that P vrs…what was it? NP?" Don asked, looking at his brother who was hammering that piece of chalk down so hard that he was murdering it.

"Yes and no I'm not pursuing that. I told you that!" Charlie spat out, not turning to face Don, but instead scribbling more numbers on his last chalkboard.

"Charlie," Don began, holding his arms out a little ways like he always did when he was trying to reason with his brother, "What's the matter? Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No." Charlie replied in an angry yet sad tone of voice as he turned from his chalkboard.

Don studied his brother's pink face and knew that the work Charlie had done was literally starting to burn him up.

"Then what's wrong, buddy? I can't help unless you talk to me." Don said, following his brother's movement with his eyes.

"You can't help. There's nothing you can do." Charlie replied, before he lashed out at a low hanging chalkboard.

Don shuddered when he heard the tell tale crack of the board breaking as Charlie's fist smashed right through it.

'Whoa' Don mouthed, seeing how well and truly angry Charlie really was.

Withdrawing his hand, Charlie studied the chalk dust and the small specks of blood coating his knuckles.

"Charlie, please tell me what's wrong. I want to help." Don tried again, slowly walking towards his brother, who stood motionless in front of the broken chalkboard.

"You can't help. She…she made her own decision." Charlie muttered, a frown on his face as he lifted his eyes to look at the wall.

"She?...You mean Amita?" Don asked, knowing he was right when he saw his little brother close his eyes and lower his head.

"What did she…?" Don began, before Charlie interrupted him by saying, "She left…to take a teaching job in Canada."

"Aww." Don breathed, now understanding his brother's anger fully. It was always hard when the person you love leaves you. Don knew that for a personal fact.

"Do you know…?" Don began.

Charlie shook his head, the frown still on his face.

"I got in to work this morning, and Professor Packard told me that Amita had accepted a job in Canada. She left without even saying goodbye, Don." Charlie said, finally turning and showing his anguish covered face to his big brother.

"Oh Charlie. I know how much something like that can hurt." Don said, really having no clue as to what to say to his brother.

Charlie sniffled and turned back to the broken chalkboard, trying to fix the fist sized hole it was now sporting.

"Charlie no, stop. Listen, give me that." Don began, taking the chalk from his younger brother's hand.

"Take a few days off. Unwind. Everything'll still be there when you get back." Don said, knowing that taking it easy was the best thing Charlie could do at the moment.

"Can't. You need help on the case." Charlie said with a frown.

"Megan can get Larry to fill in for you, for now. It'll just be for a couple of days." Don replied.

Charlie began to shake his head, but Don gripped his shoulders and said, "Charlie, take a few days off."

Looking up in to his brother's face, Charlie saw the determination in those eyes and knew he couldn't fight it, so slowly he nodded his head and allowed his brother to help him out of the basement and in to the house.


	2. The Discovery

Who we Are Chapter 2

_Click_

The front door closed, cutting off the fresh smell of the great outdoors as Don left to go to work at the crack of dawn, like he always did.

Charlie was seated on the leather backed chair right across and to the right of the couch and coffee table that was in the living room.

Biting his lip, Charlie was drawn back to the previous night when Don had brought him in from the basement and had helped him over to the couch. He and Don had then had a very long talk about anything and everything to help Charlie take his mind off his pain…and Amita.

Now, a little less than 24 hours later, Charlie felt a little better. He felt he was ready to go back to work consulting on his brother's case…and to apologize to David and Colby for his behavior, but Don wouldn't have it and ordered him to take a week off of consulting…for anybody, be it for the FBI or a student.

In fact, Don had even threatened to hog tie Charlie and leave him in his room for a week if Don caught him doing anything that involved math. Hearing that threat, Charlie had agreed, so here he was sitting on the chair, looking at the pictures on the wall, as Don pulled out of the driveway in his black, tinted SUV.

Sighing, Charlie rose up from the chair and went over to the piano. Strange, the sheet music his mother had written, and the piece that Don had played just a week ago was gone.

Wanting to see the music again, Charlie headed for the attic, guessing that Don had put it there to keep it from getting lost amidst the junk that tended to pile up everywhere.

As he walked, he seemed to be walking in slow motion as his mind went back to the instant he heard the beautiful music coming from the living room.

Charlie remembered looking up as his father shut his eyes, with that look on his face as he just listened to his wife's music again for the first time in a long time.

Swallowing, Charlie stopped and looked up, raising his hand and clasping the small cord hanging from the ceiling.

Pulling, Charlie watched as the board slowly came down. Attached to the board was the ladder that went up to the attic. Unfolding the ladder, Charlie made sure it was touching the ground before he climbed up in to the dusty attic.

The ladder creaked and rocked a little bit as Charlie climbed, but Charlie told himself that that motion was normal. It was just his weight rocking the ladder. It was nothing to worry about.

Finally he stepped on to the dust covered, wood floor of the attic.

One lone bulb hung from the ceiling. It shone brightly, lighting up the entire attic

Slowly Charlie's eyes roved around the multitude of boxes piled everywhere. Some of the boxes looked almost brand new, still sealed, keeping whatever treasures they contained away from prying eyes. Others however looked like they were ready to fall apart from obvious water damage.

Ignoring those Charlie stepped forward and fell to the ground as his foot caught one box near the entrance to the attic.

Charlie hit the ground with a thud and a gasp of pain as the box he tripped over flipped on to its side and the top of it opened, causing a few loose papers to slide out.

Sitting up, Charlie rubbed his knee where he had landed on it. His knee was sore, evidence that there was going to be a black and blue bruise in a few hours.

"Who would put a box right there?" Charlie muttered to himself as he reached over and straightened the box, before gathering the papers that had fallen out.

He started to put the papers back in the box when his eyes fell on the top paper, or more specifically the name on the paper.

It was a paper from the court of Oklahoma. The subject was the adoption of one Joshua Richard Denton.

Scrunching up his eyebrows, Charlie read the first few lines of the paper, which contained his parents names and the name of Joshua Richard Denton, but what was more important was the date on the paper. It was dated just two years after Charlie was born.

Putting that paper down, Charlie looked at the paper underneath the Oklahoma court adoption paper. It was the adoption cost of little Joshua.

'_Who is this Joshua?'_ Charlie wondered, putting the papers down and looking in to the box that had tipped over.

The only thing that was in the box was a folder stuffed full of different sized papers.

Pulling the folder out, Charlie flipped it open and stared down at a very old newspaper that had taken on a slightly brownish, crinkly appearance due to its age.

The headline of the paper read '**Billionaire's child dies**'

Curious, Charlie read the article underneath the headline.

'Billionaire Alex Michaels and his wife, music artist Shasta Crawford Michaels formally announced to the public that their two month old son Joshua Richard Michaels died of SIDS early yesterday morning.'

The paper then told the story of how Shasta had gone in to her son's bedroom to feed him when she discovered that her son wasn't breathing. She had called for her husband who had rushed in and preformed CPR, but the baby never revived

'_Hmm, why would mom or dad keep something like that?'_ Charlie thought as he carefully moved the paper aside and looked at the papers underneath the newspaper.

The papers were more on the adoption of the Denton boy.

Going through several more papers, Charlie came across a birth certificate for the boy. He picked it up and looked over it carefully, trying to find out just who the boy was. When his eyes fell on the date, his mouth opened slightly.

The birth date for the boy known as JR Denton was the exact same birth date as Charlie's, right down to the time of birth!

Swallowing, Charlie felt as if a revelation had been dumped on his shoulders.

'_I can't really be that kid, can I?'_ Charlie wondered as his mind began to think of how likely or unlikely it would be for him to actually be Joshua Richard Denton.

Shaking his head, Charlie put the paper back in the folder before closing it.

Picking up the folder, Charlie carefully put the old folder back in the box before he rose up, having every intention to leave and forget that box ever existed, but something made him stop and look back down at the box.

'_I need to know.'_ He finally decided. _'I need to know if I am that boy, and if I am, why mom and dad lied to me about who I am.'_

That decided, Charlie picked up the box and carefully climbed down out of the attic.


	3. Research

Who we Are Chapter 3

Opening the door to his room, Charlie quickly entered and shut the door behind him.

Thankfully his dad had been out of the house at his book club so he wasn't there to ask questions.

Putting the box down on his bed, Charlie refrained from opening it. Instead he went to his laptop and booted it up, before opening the internet browser.

He went to a search engine and typed in the name Joshua Richard Denton.

The list of links that were given were all to men and children by that name, but the little bit of data given with each link wasn't what Charlie was looking for.

Trying a long shot, Charlie deleted the name of the boy and typed in Billionaire Alex Michaels.

The list of links for that name were quite a few, but the number one link was for Michaels Enterprises, which was a company that built and manufactured computers and other things for the government.

Curious, Charlie clicked on that link and waited the necessary few seconds for the page to pop up. When it did, Charlie read about the accomplishments of Michaels Enterprises, before he searched further and found some information on the founder of Michael's Enterprises. The founder was none other than Alex Michaels.

The bio was short, sweet and to the point. It mentioned his wife Shasta, but it never mentioned anything about the Michaels ever having a son.

'_Maybe I can get Don to do some research on them'_ Charlie thought, before he almost immediately scratched that idea. Don would want to know why Charlie was interested in Michaels Enterprises, and Charlie didn't want to tell him about the stuff he had found, at least not until he knew for sure what the stuff was about.

Shutting down the laptop, Charlie returned to his bed and pulled out the folder again, before flipping it open.

He removed the papers he had looked at before continuing on. The next few papers were letters between an attorney and Alan and Margaret.

Of course, that sort of thing wasn't odd. For adoption, the parents and the attorney had to keep in close contact.

Shrugging, Charlie removed those papers before his eyes fell upon an old, wrinkly envelope with the name Eppes scribbled in chicken scratch on top.

Grabbing the envelope, Charlie nearly had to hold it as far away as he could as the distinct smell of cigarettes came over him.

Making a face, Charlie coughed before opening the envelope and glancing inside.

What he found inside was enough to make him forget the smell in an instant. The envelope was crammed full of $50 and $100 dollar bills.

With mouth hanging open, Charlie removed some of the money and looked at it. Sure enough, it was legal United States tender instead of some counterfeit.

"Where did mom and dad get this?" Charlie muttered to himself as he stuffed the money back in to the envelope.

Putting the envelope aside, Charlie saw another folded piece of paper with what looked like an ink stain on it. Picking the paper up, Charlie opened it up to reveal a letter, but it was in Arabic.

Margaret had been the only one in the Eppes family fluent in Arabic, so that was a dead end for now.

Laying the paper aside, Charlie was about to go through more of the papers when he heard the front door open and close

Quickly Charlie stuffed everything back in to the folder and closed it, before putting the folder in the box and the box under his bed.

Rising, Charlie went to his door and opened it just in time to see his father put his car keys on the small table near the door and head in to the kitchen.

Sighing in relief, Charlie pasted on his best 'normal' face and went out of his room, closing the door behind him.

As he trumped down the stairs, his father poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Charlie, I didn't get to see you before I left. How are you this morning?" Alan asked.

Remembering that he was supposed to be sore and depressed at Amita for leaving, Charlie put a frown on his face before he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, dad." Charlie replied with fake sadness in his voice as he turned and headed for the living room, knowing that Don had told him to stay out of the basement for a week.

Sitting down on the couch, Charlie sighed as he thought about what he had found.

It was incredible yet astounding and hard to believe. And, it made him completely forget about Amita leaving.

In some ways that was a good thing, but in other ways it wasn't. Alan and his wife had kept a secret from Charlie to keep him safe. They had never wanted to boy hurt, so they had kept quiet about the box and the folder.

When Margaret had died, she had begged Alan not to tell Charlie…for his own safety if anything, because the threats had rung in her mind. Alan had kept his promise and had sealed the box full of records and the newspaper up in the attic, mainly because Alan had believed Charlie would never go up there, because he had been afraid of the attic.

Coming out of the kitchen, Alan looked at his youngest son, seemingly lost in thought.

'_Oh Charlie.'_ Alan thought, before he turned and headed for the study.

Charlie was aware of his father coming out, but he ignored Alan, never looking at his father, as Charlie's mind kept going over everything he had found so far.

When Alan was in the study, Charlie rose up and headed back to his room, itching to find out what else was in that folder.


	4. Information Gathering

Who we Are Chapter 4

The week slowly passed, and Charlie's work load at the FBI and CalSci crept up on him, making it nearly impossible to find out anything more about JR Denton.

The first time Charlie showed his face back in Don's office, he had gone to Colby and David and apologized for his behavior, before getting back in to the swing of things with Don's newest case, but all the while his mind kept drifting to the box he had found and the information it contained.

Finally, Charlie couldn't stand it any longer, so he sought out David Sinclair, who was in his little cubical doing a background check on Don's latest list of suspects.

"Hey Charlie." David greeted, not looking up from his computer screen.

"David. I uh… I have a favor to ask." Charlie began, not quite sure how to word his favor.

"Yeah? What is it?" David asked, still not looking up.

"Uh… could you do some background checks on someone named Joshua Richard Denton, and Alex Michaels?" Charlie asked, playing with his fingers as he sometimes did when he was nervous.

"What…the billionaire Alex Michaels?" David asked, finally looking up from his screen.

Seeing Charlie nod his head, David scrunched up his eyebrows before he asked, "Why?"

"Just curious." Charlie replied, hoping that David would buy that excuse, even though it was a pretty lame one.

"Just curious." David said slowly, before he nodded his head. "Well, I'll see what I can dig up."

"Thanks." Charlie said, smiling slightly before he turned and walked away.

**NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS**

The information David dug up on the boy was scanty, just a birth certificate from a Saint John's medical center in Oklahoma. It showed that the parents were a Simon and Iris Denton, but that was about it. Basically it was a dead end, which frustrated Charlie, though he didn't let the frustration through.

Calming down, Charlie tried to think of what to do. He couldn't very well go searching for Simon and Iris because he was supposed to be helping Don with his case, but Alan had always told him to set priorities, which was more important. Don's case or the answers Charlie sought?

Swallowing, Charlie put a hand to his head as he entered the bull pen and approached the board which was crammed full of mathematical equations. He knew that he should immerse himself with the math as he always did. It was what Don expected of him, but Charlie couldn't do it.

"I can't do this." Charlie muttered to himself, shaking his curly head.

"What can't you do?"

Charlie turned to see his brother looking at him with that confused look on his face, before he raised his Styrofoam coffee cup to his lips and drank.

"This. I…I just can't do it, Don." Charlie said, gesturing to the blackboard and the equations on it.

"What? Why not? Charlie I need you on this case." Don said, approaching his brother, clearly seeing that there was something that Charlie wasn't telling him. Something that was vitally important to his brother.

"Please…understand….I…there's something I've got to do Don. I've got to do it alone." Charlie said before he squeezed past Don and headed for the door.

"Charlie…you aren't still sore because Amita…" Don began, causing Charlie to stop at the door, his hand on the cool metal.

"No…it's something else Don. I…I can't tell you more." Charlie said, before he pushed the door open and walked out, leaving Don staring after him.

**NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS**

Charlie left the FBI offices and went to his car before calling an old friend at the NSA.

Listening to the ringing of the phone was tiresome, but Charlie perked up a little when he heard someone pick up.

"Robin McDowell." A voice said over the line.

"Robin, it's Charlie Eppes." Charlie said in to the cell phone receiver.

Quickly Charlie glanced out of his car as he sat in the driver's seat, making sure none of his friends were coming out of the FBI offices to talk some sense in to him.

"Charlie! Hey man, it's been a long time! How's everything going, consulting with the FBI?" Robin said, quite surprised that Charlie had called him.

"It's going as well as can be expected. Listen Rob, I…I need a favor." Charlie said, swallowing nervously.

"Sure, name it. Lord knows I've asked you for a ton of favors, now it's time to repay some of them." Robin replied with a chuckle that Charlie could hear.

"I…I need all the information you can find on a Simon and Iris Denton." Charlie replied.

"Sure…hold on and I'll check the database." Robin said, typing the names in to his computer.

Charlie nodded his head, knowing that Robin couldn't see it, but the head nod was just out of habit more than anything.

A few minutes passed before Robin said, "Well I got something. Looks like Simon was friends with the billionaire Alex Michaels. Looks like they were partners in some big business deal. Something happened and Alex dropped his friend Simon who appeared to cut his losses and retreat to L.A. with his wife."

"Do you have an address?" Charlie asked, putting his hand on the key to the ignition on his car.

"Uh, 2431 Krylon Boulevard." Robin replied.

"Thanks Rob, I owe ya." Charlie said before he hung up and slipped his cellphone back in to his pocket.

Next he started up his car and pulled out of the FBI parking lot, fully intent on paying a visit to the Dentons.


	5. Simon and Iris

Who we Are Chapter 5

"Has Charlie come up with anymore leads?"

David looked up from his desk and looked over at Colby and Don who were standing a little ways away.

David watched Don shake his head and put a hand to his head for a second.

"No. He's not working the case anymore. I don't know why. He told me he had something else to do. God only knows what." Don said.

Sighing, David rose up from his desk and walked over to his partner and his boss.

"Don, I know I should have told you this earlier, but Charlie asked me to look up some information about a…" David began, looking down at the small piece of paper in his hands, "Joshua Richard Denton and Alex Michaels."

"What?" Don asked, scrunching his eyebrows up in the way that suggested he was royally confused.

"Why would he want to know about them?"

David shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "I told him what I knew."

"Alright, I've had just about enough of this." Don said, taking out his cellphone and dialing his brother's number, before he put the phone to his ear and listened to the drone that told him that his brother's phone was ringing.

Seconds later Charlie's voicemail picked up.

"Hi, this is Professor Charles Eppes. Please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as I can."

Then the tone sounded.

Sighing, Don just hung up, not leaving a message.

"He's not answering." Don said, shaking his head.

"Don, I'm sure Charlie's ok." Colby began, not liking to see his boss all worked up over his brother.

"I know that, Granger, I'm just worried about him. He hasn't been himself since Amita dumped him." Don said.

At that, Colby and David looked at each other before looking back at their boss. This was the first they had heard about the incident.

"Yeah, that would be enough to get anyone down." David said.

"But it wouldn't explain my brother's fascination with Alex Michaels or whoever this Denton person is." Don said.

"The information I had, stated the names of the boy's parents." David said.

"Alright." Don began, as he rubbed his head.

He knew that he should be focusing all his time and attention towards the case, but his worry for Charlie had to count for something.

"Alright um, David run the names of the boy's parents, see what they have in common with Alex Michaels. Colby you come with me." Don said.

Both men nodded their heads, and while David returned to his computer, Colby followed Don to the bull pen.

**NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS**

Charlie slowly pulled to a stop in the driveway of a modest looking house. It was white with a green trim. The yard looked nice with short grass and a small flower bed up against the house.

Opening up his car door, Charlie exited the car and walked up to the house.

As he got closer he could hear the sound of singing coming from inside.

Sighing, Charlie shook his head at that before raising a hand and knocking on the door.

Almost instantly the music stopped and the sound of feet approaching was heard.

Charlie listened as he heard a lock snap before the door was opened and a man who appeared to be in his forty's look out at him.

"Hi, I'm Professor Charles Eppes. Are you Simon Denton?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. What do you want?" Simon asked.

"Um, I would like to know about your son, JR Denton." Charlie said bluntly.

Before Simon could answer, someone else asked, "Who's that dear?"

Before the door was opened wider and a young woman in her thirties with brownish hair looked at Charlie.

"He wants to know about JR." Simon said, hooking a thumb at Charlie.

"Um, I'm sorry young man, but we know of no one by that name." Iris said kindly.

Charlie however shook his head before he said, "Your lying. I saw the birth certificates. Both of them. One had your name on it, and the other one, not to mention the adoption paper had your last name on it."

"I'm sorry son, but you must be mistaken, now please leave." Iris began, before she started shutting the door, but her husband of all people stopped her.

"No honey, he wants to know the truth, and we'll tell him the truth!" Simon said, whipping out a gun and pointing it at Charlie.

Quickly Charlie raised his hands when he saw the loaded weapon pointed directly at his chest.

"Now, come on in boy, and we'll tell ya what you want to know." Simon said, grabbing Charlie and dragging him in to the house.


	6. Simon's Story

Who we Are Chapter 6

Simon dragged Charlie all the way over to the old couch and literally shoved him down on to it.

"Now boy," Simon began, standing over Charlie and holding the gun trained on Charlie's heart, "you are gonna listen, and you're gonna listen good, cuz' I'm only gonna tell this story once. You understand?"

Charlie nodded his head, slowly lowering his hands and placing them on the couch, in plain view because Simon looked like a man with a nervous trigger finger.

"Twenty six and a half years ago I worked for and was best friends with Alex Michaels. The backstabbing bastard that he was. He and I were working on a big project, and when it was finished he was going to split the profits with his number one best man." Simon said.

"I'm assuming that 'best man' was you?" Charlie asked.

"SHUT UP! I'M TELLIN' THE STORY!" Simon said, taking his gun and hitting Charlie over the head with it.

Charlie's head snapped to the side, making Charlie hiss as he felt the trickle of blood slowly dripping down his face.

"Yeah," Simon said his voice a little calmer now, "that man was me. But when his son was born, that bastard changed his mind and said he'd use most of the profits to set up a trust fund for his kid. Anyway, I just couldn't take it anymore, so I spent two months trying to change Alex's mind, and when he wouldn't give, Iris and I broke in to the Michael's Manor and took his child, his 'pride and joy'. Of course we were caught, but we had the advantage. We had the kid, so I warned em that if they told the press anything about this, their little sonny boy was dead. So, naturally they made up some cock and bull story of their sonny boy dyin' of SIDS, when he's still alive…least he was still alive. Don't know about now."

Charlie swallowed as he listened to the story.

Finally he asked, "And…what happened to JR?"

"I dunno. After getting a false birth certificate in our name, we gave the little runt to a young couple. Let em' adopt em too." Simon said.

"I think their names were Alan and…something…was it Mary? No, no Margie…no, no…" Iris began, trying to think of the mother's name.

"Margaret." Charlie said simply.

"That's it! Margaret!" Iris said snapping her fingers.

"How did you know that, boy?" Simon asked, getting a little suspicious.

"Because, Alan and Margaret are my parents." Charlie said, feeling it best not to lie.

At that, Simon looked at Charlie more closely, as did Iris.

"It's the runt!" Simon said with disgust.

"JR!" Iris said in surprise, not expecting to see Charlie again.

"I thought we had finally gotten rid of you, you no good pain in the butt!" Simon said, hitting Charlie over the head with the gun, before he raised a leg and hit Charlie in the ribcage.

Charlie doubled over, curling up on the couch as he wrapped two hands around his ribcage.

"Oh no ya don't! Not on my couch!" Simon said, grabbing Charlie and dumping him on the floor before he started kicking the living daylights out of Charlie.

No matter what Charlie did, or how he tried to protect himself, there was still some part of him that was susceptible to Simon's kicks.

"Please…stop!" Charlie sobbed, the cracked ribs he now sporting were screaming at him royally.

"Honey…stop. You're going to kill him!" Iris said, grabbing her husband's arm.

"That's the point! This little brat," Simon began, emphasizing the word 'brat' by kicking Charlie again, "ruined our lives. And now he's gonna pay. You wouldn't let me do this when he was a baby, so I'm gonna do it now!"

The way Charlie was turned; his hands were hidden in his pockets, so Charlie grasped his cellphone which he remarkably had remembered to put in his pocket. Opening it, Charlie dialed Don's cellphone by speed dial, even as Simon continued to kick him.

When Charlie heard the tinny "Eppes," come from his phone, he immediately took it out of his pocket.

"HEY!" Simon yelled when he saw the phone.

On the other end of the line, Don had heard the exclamation, so he said, "Hello? Charlie is that you, buddy?"

As Simon made a grab for the phone, Charlie yelled, "DON…HELP!" Before he threw the still open phone out the window before Simon could get it.

On the other end, Don had had to pull the phone away from his ear when he heard his brother's pleading yell, so it was away from his ear when it landed on the ground.

Knowing he couldn't get a fix on his brother's cellphone unless he called Charlie, Don was about to suggest this when he realized that it was more than likely Charlie wouldn't be able to answer anyway.

Instead, Don had an APB issued on Charlie's car, that whoever spotted it was to report it immediately.

That done, Don closed the conversation by snapping his phone closed.

"Charlie, where are you?" Don whispered worriedly as he headed for the small break room to grab another pot of coffee.

When he was half way there he stopped. What was he doing getting coffee when his brother needed his help?

Don had recognized the scared and pain filled voice as his brother had asked for help.

'_Whoever dare hurt my brother is gonna pay!'_ Don thought, the anger rising that someone would lay an unkind hand on his brother.

Silently Don turned and headed towards David's cubicle to see if he had found out anything on the Dentons.


	7. Bound

Who we Are Chapter 7

Charlie opened his eyes and looked around without moving his body.

The dimly lit basement was revealed to him in all of its splendor, actually it was pretty bare. Paint splotched walls, a few rags and a metal ring embedded in the floor were the only items the room contained.

As Charlie became accustomed to this, he noticed that his legs were firmly tied together, along with his wrists, but while ropes bound his legs, duct tape bound his wrists and his mouth.

However, Charlie wasn't worried about that now, at the moment he was trying to come to terms with the truth. Alan and Margaret weren't his real parents, and what's more…his real parents were one of the richest people in the world, next to Bill Gates and the President himself.

'_Don…where are you?'_ Charlie thought as he struggled to prop himself up on his elbow. It was hard work because he was so sore, not to mention bound hand and foot.

Looking around further, Charlie tried to spot something…anything he could use to get the tape off.

Not seeing anything on the floor, Charlie began to crawl towards the wall as best he could.

It was next to impossible to do on his side, so carefully and exhaustively, Charlie somehow managed to get on his knees, and using his feet and hands, he managed to push and slide himself along the floor, getting steadily closer and closer to the wall.

'_Almost there…almost there.'_ Charlie kept telling himself, until he was right up against the wall. Once that step was done, Charlie looked up and down the wall, hoping to see something sticking out of the wall that he could hook the tape around.

Not seeing anything of the sort made Charlie sigh before he looked down at his taped hands. They were taped together in such a way that it made him look like he was praying, however, upon further inspection Charlie realized that he could still move his fingers, though not very well.

Slowly Charlie lowered his head and raised his hands up to his mouth.

Carefully, using his left index finger, Charlie began to 'pick' at the end of the duct tape, hoping that he could work it loose and grasp it with his fingers.

When Charlie heard the door to the basement open, he dropped his hands and curled up on his side seconds before Simon came downstairs and looked around for him, before spotting him.

"Resourceful little rat." He muttered, coming towards Charlie with conviction.

As Simon approached, Charlie began to shake, fearing another beating much like the one he had had to endure not to long ago, when Simon had told him who he really was.

"It's different…ain't it." Simon said gruffly as he looked at the cowering form of the world renowned math professor.

"Havin' a belief, knowin' who ya are, before havin' the truth dumped in yer lap."

Swallowing, Charlie had no choice but to listen to the man even though he didn't want to, as Simon continued on and on for several minutes before bending down and literally ripping off the tape covering Charlie's mouth.

"I hate you." Charlie muttered softly. In reality he didn't know why he said that, but it was the first sentence that came to his mind.

"You and everyone else." Simon shot back with a 'who cares' look on his face.

"When my brother finds you…."Charlie began.

"Your brother…! That dang agent ain't yer brother! He never was and he never will be!" Simon said.

While Charlie had been out of it from the beating, Simon had done some research and now knew a ton about the Eppes, including a whole bunch of Charlie and Don's young years growing up, and how they had always fought like cats and dogs.

"Don is my brother!" Charlie shouted back, not liking or caring what Simon was saying.

"No he isn't. Besides, how do you know he isn't being nice to you out of courtesy? Huh? How do you know he won't wad you up and throw you away like the evening trash?" Simon asked, folding his arms.

"Because I know Don! He'd never do that!" Charlie replied with conviction.

"Are you sure? I seem to recall an incident when you were both boys. He promised to take you camping but instead left you high and dry at a kiddie theme park where you were bored out of your mind, while he went out with his girlfriend Sadie." Simon said.

Charlie was a little shocked that Simon would know that, because he hadn't told anyone that, not even Don himself!

"Oh yes Charlie…or should I say JR, since that is your name…your rightful name!" Simon said.

"My name…is Charlie!" Charlie replied forcefully, glaring at Simon.

"Charlie…JR…whatever!" Simon said with a roll of his eyes.

"Listen, I don't care what you say, Don is my brother and I know he's lookin' for me right now!" Charlie said.

"Well…yer half right he is lookin' for you, but he ain't gonna find you!" Simon said with glee in his voice.

"He'll find me." Charlie said, having faith in his brother to do just that.

"Humph, says you. He doesn't even know where to look." Simon replied, before he turned and went back upstairs.

The second the door closed, Charlie looked towards the barred windows that stood over his head.

A small smile came to Charlie's face before he raised his taped hands and began to chew at the edge of the tape, trying to work the edge loose so he could grasp it in his teeth and unwind it.

Charlie had a feeling that laying outside near the window was his cellphone which he had thrown out the window earlier, and if he was right, then once he was untied, he could go over to the window and jump, latching on to the bars before reaching out through the bars to grab the cellphone, since judging from the breeze in the room, there was no glass behind the bars.

With that thought in his mind, Charlie continued to work on the tape.

**NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS**

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this. Been really busy, plus when I originally finished this chapter, wouldn't let me upload it.


	8. The Rescue

Who We Are Chapter 8

SNAP

Wringing his wrists, Charlie slowly worked the tape off before he was able to grip the tape enough to unwind it from his wrists and drop it on the ground, not wasting time with his still tied legs, Charlie carefully jumped to the window, latching on to the bars with all his strength.

Looking out, Charlie saw his cellphone laying there within easy reach.

One hand tightening on the bars, Charlie reached with one hand and snagged his cell phone before he drew it inside, then he let go of the bars and dropped to the ground.

Flipping it open, Charlie speed dialed his brother's number before placing the phone up to his ear.

Even before the first ring had finished, Don heard the crackle of someone picking up before the welcome, "Eppes," sounded.

"Don!" Charlie whispered, remembering to keep his voice down so Simon wouldn't hear him.

"Charlie!" Don exclaimed, "Where are you?"

"I'm uh…at Simon Denton's house. Don…he's the guy! He's the guy that took me away from mom and dad!" Charlie whispered, feeling tears threatening to roll down his cheeks any minute.

"Alright Charlie, just calm down. We're already rolling; we'll be there in ten minutes. Just hang on buddy." Don said calmly, trying to relay that calmness over the phone line.

Swallowing, Charlie nodded his head before he looked towards the stairs.

Hearing someone, Charlie fearfully shut his phone before sticking it in a small crack in the wall, and then he sunk to the floor in fear as the door opened and Simon came down with a baseball bat in hand.

"Well, well, well, ET's phonin' home, huh?" Simon said ruthlessly as he raised his bat, holding it poised over his head before bringing it crashing down on Charlie's exposed chest.

Charlie cried out, immediately curling in to the fetal position as another blow hit his shoulder.

"No one makes ANY phone call unless I say so!" Simon yelled, bringing the bat crashing down on Charlie's leg, immediately breaking it, causing Charlie to yell out in obvious pain, but that yell only seemed to spur Simon on.

"You were always the loose end, the unwanted toy that had to be disposed of, and now I have to do it again!" Simon continued on.

Charlie listened to this man…this crazy man rant on and on about the Michaels and the Eppes and how neither one of them really wanted him, but Charlie knew better, he knew that each one of them, in their own way, loved him…or at least one of them did, and one of them still does.

The blows had been raining down for so long that Charlie was getting used to them and the red, hot, fiery pain and numbness that came with them, so it was a surprise to him when they abruptly stopped.

Opening his blood covered eyes, Charlie dimly looked out to see Simon on his knees, hands behind his head as David handcuffed him, while Don was walking over to him.

Seeing his baby brother lying all bloodied and broken on the floor made Don's blood boil, and for once, he would have been glad to shoot Simon Denton, but Don knew that Charlie's care came first, so, as gently as he could, Don knelt down and tried to stop the flow of blood coming from Charlie's head.

"Don." Charlie weakly whispered, as a bloody grin crossed his face.

"Yeah, I'm here buddy, I'm here…we got em', Charlie…we got both of them." Don said softly.

Hearing that, Charlie closed his eyes and finally passed out.

(A/N: Short chapter, I know, but at least it's a start. Sorry everyone for leaving this one for so long, had a muse block, not to mention work and school, but now that the block is gone and the school is now finished, I can hopefully have more time for this.)


	9. The Truth

Who We Are Chapter 9

Don was seated in a hospital chair, awaiting news on his brother. In his mind, Don was still trying to get over the fact that his brother was not really his brother…to some degree.

He was also trying to decide when he should tell his father…and the Michael's family. Both of them had a right to know the truth about Charlie, and Don wouldn't be the one to keep it from either of them, but now the only question was….how to break it to them.

Sighing, Don ran a hand through his hair as he glanced to the side just in time to see his father, Colby, Megan and David come walking over. Each one, especially his father, Don noted, had a worried look on their faces.

"Any news?" Colby asked, speaking the question that had been running through all of their minds.

Don shook his head in reply, "No. All they told me was he had a broken leg for sure. They needed to run a few x-ray's, but that was two hours ago."

Everyone sighed a little as they all sat down in chairs that were beside Don's.

Megan sat right next to Don, then there was David and then Colby. Alan sat on Don's other side, to which Don was thankful.

After two minutes, Don finally came to a decision. Swallowing, he looked at his father and said, "Dad, I need to tell you something….about Charlie."

"What about Charlie?" Alan asked, looking at Don with concern.

Don rose from his chair, gesturing for his father to rise also, before he led Alan to a bench that was out of ear shot from his team.

"Dad what do you know….about Simon Denton?" Don asked pointedly.

Hearing that name, Alan paused for a second before he said, "That's a name that I hadn't heard for a long time. A long time."

"Then you do know him." Don said, stating a fact rather than a question.

"Yes. He was the one to give Charlie to your mother and I. We were really young at the time, having run away from our parents." Alan said softly.

At that, Don blinked, very surprised that Alan would say that!

"Uh…how young?" Don asked.

"Teens." Was all Alan would say to that question.

Swallowing, Don pressed on, deciding to just get it over with.

"Dad, Charlie…he was never your son." Don began.

"I know that Don, that fact bothers me every day, but I've never had the heart to tell him…or you." Alan said.

"Dad, what I'm trying to tell you was that Charlie was kidnapped from his real parents, by Simon Denton!" Don said.

Alan had nothing to say to that, so he let his eldest son go on.

"I have serious reason to believe that Charlie's real parents are Alex and Shasta Michaels." Don said, before he felt a need to explain, "When Charlie called the first time, I got concerned, so I sent Colby to the house. He found the box with all of the papers, and brought it back.

"After going through it, it wasn't too hard to guess the truth."

When Don finished, all Alan could do was hang his head and silently cry.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two more hours went by before a doctor in a white lab coat stopped right in front of the team's set of chairs.

"Are you all here for a Charles Eppes?" The doctor asked.

At that, they all nodded and stood up, with Don reaching out his hand and shaking the doctor's hand.

"I'm Don Eppes, Charlie's brother, and this is our father, Alan." Don said, waiting while Alan shook the doctor's hand as well.

"I'm Doctor McNeill. I must say that Charlie is a strong young man. He suffered extensive damage to his leg and a few of his ribs. He also sustained a concussion, so he's going to be here for a while, but I anticipate that he will make a full and complete recovery." The doctor said.

Hearing that, everyone let out the breath that they didn't know they'd been holding.

"If you would like to see him, then please, follow me." The doctor said, before he led them down a hall. He turned right, twice before he stopped at a door.

Looking back to make sure they were all behind him, the doctor pushed open the door and held it open, allowing everyone in to the room.

At the far corner, near the window was a bed, and in the bed, draped in bandages of different sizes, was Charlie, fast asleep and pain free thanks to the medicine.

Don and Alan immediately went to Charlie's side and took one of his hands, gently holding it as they gazed down at his face.

"You have to tell them." Alan said after a minute.

"Charlie already knows." Don replied without looking up.

"I'm not talking about Charlie, I'm talking about the Michael's family…and your team. They all need to know." Alan said.

Sighing, Don looked up at his father and said, "I'll tell them all when Charlie is released from the hospital. I don't think it'd be right for his real mother and father to see him like this."

At that, Alan nodded his consent before looking at his youngest again.

(A/N: Another chapter! Let me know what you all think of it, so please R&R!)


	10. Visit to the Michaels

Who We Are Chapter 10

It was two months to the day, almost to the minute, that Don found himself outside of the Michael's mansion, hand poised, ready to ring the doorbell.

A part of Don just wanted to turn around and put this behind him, but another, stronger part of him, told him that this needed to be done, so before he lost his nerve, Don rung the doorbell.

After four seconds, the door opened, and a butler with rimmed eyeglasses, and the usual black tie, black jacket over a white shirt, was looking at him.

"Michael's residence. Are you expected, mister…?" The butler began.

"I'm Don Eppes…I'm with the FBI," Don said as he whipped out his badge, quickly showing it to the butler, "May I please speak with Mr. and Mrs. Michaels?"

The butler looked from the badge, to Don and back before he opened the door wider.

"Come in please." He said.

Stepping in to the house, Don was in awe at the sheer beauty of it. Everything was well lit! The hand railing that led to the second floor looked to be pure gold with sparkles in it, the floor was carpet…a very costly carpet, Don guessed, but what impressed him more was the huge chandelier overhead.

The butler, paying no attention to the look on Don's face, quickly led him to the lounge.

"Wait here please." He said, gesturing Don to go in, before turning and walking up the stairs.

Not saying anything Don entered the room and began to look around, but he didn't have to wait long, because not two minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Michaels walked in to the room.

"Why have we been fortunate enough to receive a visit from the FBI, mister Eppes?" Alex Michael's asked, walking right over to Don.

"Um, I'm here unofficially, sir." Don said, before he paused and pressed on, "Mr. and Mrs. Michael's…"

"Please, call me Alex." Alex Michaels insisted

"..And Shasta." Shasta Michaels butted in after her husband.

"Alex and Shasta….I know that years ago, you had a baby son," Don began, but before he continued, Shasta said, "Yes, but he died shortly after."

"Ma'am, your son is alive. When he was a baby, he was kidnapped, and you were told to lie and claim that he was dead, just so the kidnapper could spare his life." Don said sympathetically.

"What?" Shasta said, her eyes filling with tears at Don's revelation.

Seeing this, Don nodded his head.

"After getting you off of his back, the kidnapper forged a birth certificate and allowed the baby to be adopted." Don finished, sitting down across from Shasta.

"How do you know all of this? We never told the FBI that." Alex pondered, starting to think that Don was related to the kidnapper.

"Sir…I know all of this because the baby in question…..your son….is my brother." Don replied.

At that, Shasta finally burst in to tears.


	11. A family Reunited

Who We Are Chapter 11

Charlie gently eased himself down the short staircase in his house. Even though his cast had been removed a little less than a week ago, and he didn't need any physical therapy, he still walked with a bit of a limp. The doctor had given Charlie a cane to help with that, but not wanting to be seen using it, Charlie just hobbled about on his wrapped and sometimes, braced leg.

"Hey Dad, where's Don? He was supposed to bring me some things." Charlie said, limping in to the kitchen to see his father preparing dinner, which looked and smelled like it was a big pot of spaghetti.

"I don't have any clue as to where your brother is, Charlie. Have you tried calling him?" Alan asked without looking up.

"Yeah but I keep getting his voicemail." Charlie said.

"You know as well as I do, that your brother is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He'll call or stop by as soon as he can." Alan replied, finally setting the pot of food on the stove to warm.

Sighing, Charlie turned and limped out of the kitchen, forcing his tired and aching leg up the stairs to his room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It wasn't five minutes after Charlie had entered his room that the front door opened and in walked Don, followed closely by Alex and Shasta Michaels.

Hearing the front door open, Alan walked out of the kitchen and stopped, seeing that he had guests.

"Dad, this is Mr. and Mrs. Michaels." Don said, watching as Alan shook hands with the both of them.

"Pleased to meet you." Alan said, while he guessed as to why they were there.

"Dad, they're here to see Charlie. Where is he?" Don asked.

"He's upstairs in his room. He was asking where you were, a few minutes ago." Alan replied, turning to face his son.

Don turned and meant to head up the stairs, but he was saved the trip when he saw his brother hobbling back down the stairs.

"Don! Jeez man, I've been trying to call you!" Charlie said, almost breathlessly.

"Sorry buddy, I was a little tied up." Don replied.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Charlie stood in front of Don, not even noticing the visitors, or how they stood staring at him in awe.

"Did you bring the notes and calculations that I asked you to?" Charlie asked.

He was itching to get back to work on the case…any case really, and Don had promised him that he would bring some math stuff back so Charlie could take a look at it, and that was what Charlie was aiming to do.

"Well…no…I didn't, but…" Don began.

Hearing that, Charlie sighed and hung his head a little.

"But, I brought someone, in fact two someone's that are more important." Don said, stepping aside so Charlie could see who was behind him.

Charlie raised his head and for the first time, looked with comprehending eyes at his parents.

The realization of who they were hit him in an instant, freezing him in place so that he couldn't move.

With tears in her eyes, Shasta crossed the distance until she stood directly in front of her son.

Then, without a word, she reached over and hugged him, feeling the long buried love that she had for him, suddenly reemerge as bright and as strong as ever.

"Oh, my son…!" Was all she could say at the moment, but it was more than Charlie could say.

The missing piece…the hole that Charlie had felt for so long was now finally filled, and the mystery was finally solved.

After Shasta let him go, Charlie felt himself enveloped in yet another hug, this time by his father.

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry." Alex said as he joyously hugged Charlie.

Swallowing, Charlie asked, "For what?"

"For not trying harder to get you back." Alex replied, breaking away from his son shamefully.

Charlie saw this and said, "It's alright…you did what you thought was right, and I'm not going to hold it against you."

Looking back at his son, Alex saw this forgiveness there and for the first time in a long time, he was at peace.

As Don and Alan watched the joyful reunion of a son to his family, they both knew that there was still one question left. What would Charlie do?

Would he stay were he was, in this house, at the same job, under the same name? Or would he give all that up and live the life of a rich person…the person he was born to be?

'_Whatever you decide buddy, I'll back you up one hundred percent.'_ Don thought to himself as he watched the newly reunited family, hug.


	12. Charlie's Decision

Who We Are Epilogue

Don was standing by the window, looking out in to the backyard, carefully watching Charlie's beaming face as he talked with his family.

Beside him stood his whole team, which consisted of Megan, David and Colby, whom he had told the day after Charlie and his real parents had been reunited.

"I've never seen him so happy." Colby said after a few minutes.

"Yeah. Charlie's like a whole different person." David agreed.

Outside, Charlie had been smiling non stop for a full ten minutes as he enjoyed his parents company. In fact, he was having such a good time that he didn't even know that he was being watched.

"It's been a week now. I mean…we've all asked him what he was going to do…but he's always just walked away. But now…I think he's answered the question for us." Don said, never glancing at his team.

"Don, you don't know that for sure. Charlie's having a good time with his parents, its true, but he's been a member of your family his whole life…that has got to count for something." Megan said.

"But he's so…!" Don began, motioning towards Charlie.

"Happy? Wouldn't you be too, if that was you?" Megan asked.

That made Don stop and think for a moment before he nodded his head and said, "Well…yeah."

Megan gave a small smile before she turned and watched Charlie and his parents head back inside.

When they all had reentered the house and had sauntered back in to the living room, Charlie sat down in a corner chair as he looked down at the ground, giving the matter before him some serious thought.

While he had been outside, his parents had asked him to come live with them and enter in to the family business, while he continued teaching at CalSci, and consulting for the FBI.

Charlie knew how devastated Alan and Don would be if he just packed his bags and just pushed them aside, since he had been a part of them for so long, and truth be told, Charlie wasn't all that sure that he was ready to "leave the coop" as some might put it.

Finally, biting back a small sniffle, Charlie raised his head and looked at everyone that was in the room.

"I want you all to know that the decision that was put before me, was a very hard one and that I didn't make it lightly."

At that, everyone nodded, waiting for Charlie to press on.

Sighing, Charlie said, "First off, Don…I'd like to thank you for bringing my parents back in to my life….it's really meant a lot to me."

In response, Don gave a small half smile before he lowered his head a little.

Then Charlie turned to face his parents, fixing them with a knowing gaze, "Mom, dad. I know that my moving in with you is something important, and it's something I want too, but I'm not ready. This house is where I grew up, and here's where I want to stay, but I want you to know that I'll be changing my last name to Michaels."

After Charlie finished, Alex and Shasta nodded their heads, excepting his decision in the matter.

"And, I do want to enter in to the 'family' business, but I still want to consult and teach." Charlie said.

Smiling a little, Alex replied, "I think we can fit that in."

With the decisions having been made, Charlie stood back up and went up the stairs. He was doing his best to minimize his limp, and he was succeeding with that.

Behind him was Don, walking up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, Charlie turned to face Don,

Seeing the worry hidden in his features, Charlie finally understood what was bothering him.

"Don, none of this is going to change anything between us. I may not be an Eppes, Don, but I want you to know that you are my brother…and you are always going to be my brother." Charlie said with a smile.

Hearing that, Don finally walked up the last step and stood facing his brother. In that instant, he embraced Charlie in a brotherly hug, to which Charlie was a little surprised, because Don rarely showed emotion.

"Thanks buddy." Don whispered, before he released Charlie and headed back downstairs.

Charlie watched him go and thought, _'We are always going to be brothers Don, and nothing is ever going to change that.'_

THE END


End file.
